Poland offers 30% subsidy if Kannada filmmakers shoot there

The ambassador said his country was prepared to facilitate an investment of up to Rs 900 crore in a special environment zone.

BENGALURU: Poland has offered to give an upfront 30% subsidy of the cost of a movie if Kannada filmmakers shoot their films entirely in the European nation, chief minister HD Kumaraswamy told ET.

Poland ambassador Adam Burakowski, a big fan of Hindi movies and Kannada superstar (the late) Rajkumar, met the CM on Tuesday and said his country’s policy encourages filmmakers to shoot on its soil. “The programme of incentives will start in October,” the ambassador told ET.

To be eligible for the subsidy, the movie should be shot entirely within Poland. Burakowski, a former professor, has authored a thesis on Indian history. “I understand Hindi, love Hindi songs... maybe in future, I will also learn Kannada,” he said.

Poland, located in Central Europe, is the sixth most populous country in the European Union, with an area of 3.13 lakh sqkm — roughly the size of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu put together. The country has a population of 38 million with a per capita income of $16,180 (Rs 11.1 lakh).

The European country, the CM said, provides subsidy to film industries overseas with the purpose of showcasing its tourism potential. Karnataka can also, he told ET, consider ways of promoting tourism using popular cinema.

SPECIAL ENVIRONMENT ZONEThe ambassador said his country was prepared to facilitate an investment of up to Rs 900 crore in a special environment zone. The government can identify a small city or an area in a big city and build a zone which will manage the waste and sewage in that area. Poland will arrange 70% of funding in the form of soft loans. The state government has to fund the rest.

Karnataka, the chief minister said, will provide all assistance if private investors from Poland came forward to invest in the state’s upcoming food parks and in the aerospace and automotive sectors. The state, the CM said, was also ready to explore collaborations in innovation and technology.

“Our universities, academic and research institutions can have tieups with institutions in Poland,” the CM said.

ENTIRELY IN POLANDTo be eligible for the subsidy, the movie should be shot entirely within Poland

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